Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for maintaining a time reference which is governed by a high clock frequency, wherein a changeover is essentially made, for a changeover time period, to a low clock frequency.
In order to allow a mobile radio telephone to be reached at all times, it is necessary to operate the mobile radio telephone in the so-called standby mode (paging). In this mode, information is received from the respective base station, via the radio interface, in a precise, predetermined time reference. In the GSM Standard TDMA method (time division multiple access), the time reference is, for example, governed by a frame length of approximately 4.6 ms. An incoming call is signaled in the information received from the base station.
These information blocks containing signaling data may be separated from one another by up to several seconds, but must then be received again, in the predetermined time reference, with an accuracy in the microsecond (xcexcs) range.
In order to ensure this reception of information exactly, a high-precision, high-frequency clock frequency generator generally remains switched on all the time in the mobile radio telephone. In Siemens GSM mobile telephones, for instance, the clock frequency generator is a voltage-controlled and temperature-compensated crystal oscillator which produces a high clock frequency of about 13 MHz. Such a radio-frequency crystal oscillator consumes a relatively great amount of power, which is disadvantageous for the operating duration, particularly for mobile radio telephones powered by batteries or rechargeable batteries in a mobile radio system. The radio-frequency crystal oscillator is coupled to the base station via a control algorithm. The base station supplies a reference burst for this frequency control of the crystal oscillator in order to maintain the synchronization between the mobile station and the base station.
The object of the invention is thus to provide a method and an apparatus for maintaining a time reference which is governed by a fast clock frequency, which overcomes the shortcomings and disadvantages of the prior art systems and wherein the power consumption of a clock frequency generator producing the fast clock frequency can be reduced while maintaining the time reference.
With these objects in view there is provided, in accordance with the invention, a method of maintaining a time reference governed by a high clock frequency produced by a first clock frequency generator, wherein a changeover is made, for a changeover time period, to a low clock frequency produced by a second clock frequency generator. The novel method comprises the following method steps:
a) trimming the low and high clock frequencies during a trimming time period;
b) starting a counter for the high clock frequency;
c) stopping the counter for the high clock frequency in dependence of the low clock frequency, defining an intermediate value and, immediately thereafter,
d) starting a counter for the low clock frequency;
e) deactivating the first clock frequency generator;
f) stopping the counter for the low clock frequency at a first final value determined on the basis of a predetermined first final trimming value used for trimming, after an activation of the first clock frequency generator and, immediately thereafter,
g) restarting the counter for the high clock frequency from the intermediate value; and
h) stopping the counter for the high clock frequency at a second final value determined on the basis of a reference value, obtained during trimming, for the high clock frequency.
The method according to the invention and the apparatus according to the invention make it possible, for example in a mobile station of a mobile radio system, to maintain the time reference in the standby mode (paging) between the received blocks of signaling data using, for example, a low-frequency clock oscillator circuit. A clock oscillator circuit has a relatively low frequency of 32.768 kHz in comparison to the normal clock frequency of 13 MHz in conventional mobile radio systems. Such a clock oscillator circuit has the major advantage of a lower price, since it is a mass-produced item, and of an extremely low power consumption. Furthermore, some mobile stations are already provided with such a clock oscillator circuit as a real time clock so that, in this case, it is possible to use clock oscillator circuits which are already present in the appliances. However, the invention is not limited to use in mobile stations of mobile radio systems but, in general, advantageously allows a low clock frequency to be used to maintain a time reference which is governed by a high clock frequency.
Using a low clock frequency to take over the time reference allows high-precision clock frequency generators for a high clock frequency, which have a high power consumption, to be switched off temporarily, and allows the maintenance of the time reference to be transferred to inexpensive clock frequency generators for low clock frequencies, which have a low power consumption.
In its application to mobile stations, in particular, the present invention in this case solves the problem of exact maintenance of synchronization between the mobile station and the respective base station, using a relatively low-frequency oscillator. This problem results, on the one hand, from the frequency of 32.768 kHz of the conventional clock oscillator circuit, which is very low in comparison with the frequency of 13 MHz, and from the time interval of 30.5 us associated with this, and on the other hand from the normally poor frequency stability of the clock oscillator (for examplexc2x1(50-100) ppm), as a result of which frequency trimming is unavoidable. A further problem is that the high clock frequency and the low clock frequency generally have neither a phase nor a frequency reference.
In accordance with an added feature of the invention, the step of trimming the low and high clock frequencies comprises:
a1) starting the counter for the high clock frequency concurrently with a reference counter for the high clock frequency;
a2) stopping the counter for the high clock frequency in dependence on the low clock frequency, defining an intermediate trimming value and, immediately thereafter,
a3) starting the counter for the low clock frequency;
a4) stopping the counter for the low clock frequency at the predetermined first final trimming value and, immediately thereafter;
a5) restarting the counter for the high clock frequency from the intermediate trimming value; and
a6) stopping the counter for the high clock frequency concurrently with the reference counter for the high clock frequency at a second final trimming value predetermined for the reference counter and corresponding to the trimming time period, wherein a count of the counter for the high clock frequency is defined as the reference value for the high clock frequency.
In accordance with an additional feature of the invention, the counter for the high clock frequency is stopped in the above-noted steps c) and/or a2) at a next positive flank of the low clock frequency after the starting of the counter for the high clock frequency.
In accordance with another feature of the invention, the mobile radio system is based on the GSM Standard, a length of the changeover time period is an integer multiple m of a GSM frame length, and a length of the trimming time period is an integer multiple n of the GSM frame length.
In accordance with a further feature of the invention, the first final value is determined by dividing the predetermined first final trimming value by n and by multiplying the value by m, and the second final value is determined by dividing the reference value obtained during trimming by n and by multiplying the value by m.
In accordance with again a further feature of the invention, a division remainder that occurs when dividing the first and/or second final value by n is multiplied by m and, immediately after step h), a remainder counter is started and the remainder counter is stopped at the division remainder multiplied by m.
With the above and other objects in view there is also provided, in accordance with the invention, an apparatus for maintaining a time reference governed by a high clock frequency, in which a changeover is made to a low clock frequency for a specific changeover time period, comprising:
a high clock frequency generator for a relatively high clock frequency;
a low clock frequency generator for a relatively low clock frequency;
a counter for the high clock frequency connected to the high clock frequency generator; a counter for the low clock frequency connected to the low clock frequency generator; and
a sequence controller connected to the counter for the high clock frequency and to the counter for the low clock frequency, the sequence controller:
a) trimming the low and high clock frequencies during a trimming time period;
b) starting the counter for the high clock frequency;
c) stopping the counter for the high clock frequency in dependence on the low clock frequency, defining an intermediate value and, immediately thereafter,
d) starting the counter for the low clock frequency;
e) deactivating the first clock frequency generator;
f) stopping the counter for the low clock frequency at a first final value, determined on a basis of a predetermined first final trimming value used for trimming, after the activation of the first clock frequency generator and, immediately thereafter,
g) restarting the counter for the high clock frequency from the intermediate value; and
h) stopping the counter for the high clock frequency at a second final value, determined on a basis of a reference value, obtained during trimming, for the high clock frequency.
In accordance with again another feature of the invention, there is provided a reference counter for the high clock frequency, and the sequence controller is programmed to carry out the following steps during trimming of the low and high clock frequencies:
a1) starting the counter for the high clock frequency concurrently with the reference counter for the high clock frequency;
a2) stopping the counter for the high clock frequency as a function of the low clock frequency, defining an intermediate trimming value and, immediately thereafter;
a3) starting the counter for the low clock frequency;
a4) stopping the counter for the low clock frequency at the predetermined first final trimming value and, immediately thereafter,
a5) restarting the counter for the high clock frequency from the intermediate trimming value; and
a6) stopping the counter for the high clock frequency concurrently with the reference counter for the high clock frequency at a second final trimming value predetermined for the reference counter and corresponding to the trimming time period, wherein a count of the counter for the high clock frequency is defined as the reference value for the high clock frequency.
In accordance with again another feature of the invention, the sequence controller is programmed to stop the counter for the high clock frequency in step c) and/or step a2) at a next positive flank of the low clock frequency after starting of the counter for the high clock frequency.
As has already been indicated above, the method according to the invention and the apparatus according to the invention are advantageously used in a mobile station in a mobile radio system. If the mobile radio system is based on the GSM Standard, the length of the changeover time period is an integer multiple m of the GSM frame length, and the length of the trimming time period is an integer multiple n of the GSM frame length. The GSM frame length is in this case approximately 4.6 ms. In order to improve the accuracy, it is in this case advantageous for the sequence controller to determine the first final value by dividing the predetermined first final trimming value by n and by multiplying it by m, and to determine the second final value by dividing the reference value obtained during trimming by n, and by multiplying it by m.
In this case, it may be advantageous for the sequence controller to multiply a division remainder, which occurs when dividing the first and/or second final values by n, by m and immediately after step h), to start a remainder counter, and to stop this remainder counter at the division remainder multiplied by m, in order to fill the changeover time period exactly.
The present invention thus provides a complete solution which can be implemented, for example, as a user-specific module in a mobile telephone. As a result of the changeover to a different clock system, the processor in the mobile telephone is relieved of the conversion calculations for the two clock frequency generators, which involve a large amount of computation. The exact frequency of the 32.768 kHz oscillator and the missing phase reference between the two clock frequency generators are measured and taken into account automatically. The object of the software in the mobile telephone is merely synchronous starting of the changeover and presetting the time for which the changeover is intended to be carried out, in multiples of TDMA frames in the case of a GSM system.
As noted above, the invention is most advantageously implemented in a mobile station of a mobile radio system.
In accordance with yet an added feature of the invention, the mobile radio system is based on the GSM Standard, and a length of the changeover time period is an integer multiple m of the GSM frame length, and a length of the trimming time period is an integer multiple n of the GSM frame length.
In accordance with yet an additional feature of the invention, the sequence controller is programmed to determine the first final value by dividing the predetermined first final trimming value by n and by multiplying it by m, and to determine the second final value by dividing the reference value obtained during trimming by n and by multiplying by m.
In accordance with a concomitant feature of the invention, the sequence controller is programmed to multiply by m a division remainder resulting from dividing the first and/or second final value by n, and, immediately after processing step h), to start the remainder counter and to stop the remainder counter at the division remainder multiplied by m.
Other features which are considered as characteristic for the invention are set forth in the appended claims.
Although the invention is illustrated and described herein as embodied in a method and apparatus for using a low clock frequency to maintain a time reference which is governed by a high clock frequency, it is nevertheless not intended to be limited to the details shown, since various modifications and structural changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention and within the scope and range of equivalents of the claims.
The construction and method of operation of the invention, however, together with additional objects and advantages thereof will be best understood from the following description of specific embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawings.